Meet Find Your Anchor

Find Your Anchor is a grassroots movement aimed at suicide prevention through awareness and education. It offers hope, resources and inspiration to those thinking about or impacted by suicide – and it helps all of us to see the anchors in our world.

At its helm is Ali Borowsky, who created the organization as an alternative to the white pamphlets and hotline numbers that are commonplace in mental health treatment today. A survivor of multiple suicide attempts, Ali knows first-hand how hard it can be to seek help – and how much harder clinical or impersonal resources can make that feel. So, she set out to provide support through her own version of these materials that are filled with color, warmth and, above all, hope.

“For the longest time, I couldn’t see my own anchors and it took a process of finding little joys to realize that they were there all along,” Ali says. “The little things aren’t little at all. They’re life-saving.”

Find Your Anchor creates and distributes boxes that include creatively designed and lovingly curated items to help those struggling to find and hold onto sources of hope – anchors – around them. These little blue boxes include items such as mental health resources, inspiring art, a “52+ Reasons to Live” deck of cards (featuring Ali’s own photos and anchors) and a handwritten note – powerful reminders that others care and that hope can be found. There are hundreds of stories from recipients who share how the boxes were just what they needed when they were struggling and, for many, what saved their lives.

But the box’s journey doesn’t end with one individual. When ready, recipients are encouraged to add their own inspiration and pass it on so it can help others. Find Your Anchor boxes have sparked a movement, passing between friends and strangers, making their way across the country and around the world.

Anyone struggling can request a box and everyone can get involved. Individuals, called “Messengers,” can order a box to give to someone they know or provide critical support so Find Your Anchor can continue to launch boxes where they are needed most. Companies, organizations and schools can become “Buoys” through partnerships, bulk orders or custom box programs, such as veteran-specific boxes.

In June 2020, Find Your Anchor had launched 8,900+ boxes. Today, 20,000+ boxes have launched in all 50 states and 36 countries – a number quickly outdating itself as boxes continue to be requested to meet a critical and widespread need. And Ali’s far from done. She wants boxes in high schools, on every college campus, supporting veterans and LGBTQ+ youth – and you can help.

If you or someone you know is struggling, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.